Detachable cushion heel



June 2121927. ,633,324

L. F. HARTUNG DETACHABLE CUSHION HEEL Filed March 1.8, 1925 4 v 76% Leo a/Whig 1 1/ v 3 rial, such as sponge rubber, which is detach Patented June 21, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEONAR FJYI-IABTUNGLJOF LOS NGELES, CALIFORNIA.

nn'rAcHaBLn ousiaron HEEL.

Application filed March 18, 19 25 Serial- 110, 16,323 i This invention relates to improvements in cushion heels forfootwear.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved heel for footwear, which has an insertion of soft, resilient material, such as sponge rubber, which insertionprojects pelow the bottom surface of the body of the ieel.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cushion heel for footwear having an insertion of soft, resilient mateably secured to the heel and which may be easily and quickly removed, if found desirable.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved rubber heel for footwear, which rubber heel has an aperture therethrough, in which is disposed a hemispherical cushion projecting below the bottom surface of the rubber heel'and providing a very resilient heel, creating greater ease in walking.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein: v v Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe to which the improved heel has been applied,

parts being broken away and shown in sec-.

tion;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the sole and the heel shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the body of the heel and may be considered as a horizontal.

section taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the soft, resilient insertion; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein. similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the improved heel in the preferred form of construction is the conventional rubber heel indicated at 10, which has an aperture 11 formed therein, the sides of which have spherical surfaces, as indicated at 12. As is conventional in footwear, the rubber heel is adapted to be secured upon a lift of leather 13 secured upon the bottom of the sole S adjacent the rear of the shoe. Within the aperture 11 there is disposed a hemispherlca-l section or insertion .14 which isz'preferably formed of sponge 1,.rubber. 1 The spherical surfaces 12 provide upwardly divergent surfaces within the body ,of the heel 10, which are adapted to be engaged by thevupwardly divergent surfaces of the insertion 14, serving to lock or maintain the insertion within the aperture 11. Because of the fact that the insertion 14 is made of sponge rubber, it is highly compressible, and although the insertion projects materially below the bottom of the body of the heel 10, it can be compressed within the aperture 11 when the, weight of the wearer is placed upon the heel. The insertion 14 is not secured to the lift 13 or otherwise se-- cured to the body of the heel 10. Because of the fact that the insertion 14 is highly resilient, it will tend to expand and completely occupy the aperture 11, so as to secure the insertion within the body of the heel. The insertion 14'can readily be removed from the aperture 11 by being slightlycompressed laterally, but the insertion will not drop from within the aperture during walking under ordinary circumstances.

If desired, the insertion 14 may be covered with a cover of fabric 15 which may be of canvas or the like to prevent slipping upon wet sidewalks. If the canvas 15 is not employed, a skin or layer. of thin closed rubher is preferably formed over the exterior surface of the sponge rubber insertion 14.

Although the'improved rubber heel consisting of the cushion or insertion 14 has been described as applied to the conventional rubber heel 10, in which is formed the aperture 11, it is to be understood that the cushion 14 may be equally well applied to a leather heel, in which the aperture 11 with its spherical sides '12 is formed in certain of the'lifts of leather forming the heel.

From the above it will be readily appreciated that an improved cushion heel is provided, in which there is an insertion of very soft, resilient material which is formed of sponge rubber and the body of the rubber heel 10, which may be of leather as above stated, provides a retaining ring or frame for limiting the lateral expansion of the insertion or cushion when the weight of the wearer is placed upon the heel. In other words, the body 10 of the rubber heel prevents flattening of the cushion 14 beyond the side edges of the heel, while at the same time the resiliency of the cushion is retained.

It will be understood that veno changes in thedetail of construction may be made WlthOUt departing from the spirit or'seope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

A heel for footwear comprising arubber heel having an aperture therethrough provided With spherically cnrved si'd'es, aremovable hemispherical cushion disposed Within 10 said aperture with its sides'en aging the sides of the "aperture, said cus ion being :tormed of a more resilient material than the body "of the rubber heel and having its top surface flush With the top surface of the body of the heel and its bottom normally projecting below the bottom or tread surface of the heel, and a fabric covering the bottom surface of the cushion.

In'test-imony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

L. F. HARTUNG. 

